986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners - View Single Post - Immobilized

Coldbourne · 03-22-2017, 06:17 PM

Good Evening,
I bought a 2001 Boxster a few months ago and despite an early trip to the mechanic to deal with a coolant issue, it has been a gem. I drive it daily and have had no issues, but I did want to upgrade the radio to something other than a 15 year old CD player.

I went through crutchfields, got a nice unit and the appropriate wiring harness, did the install and happiness ensued. Unfortunately, while testing the new unit to make sure everything worked before I finished mounting it, I am pretty sure I left the key in the ignition without cranking it. Now my car is immobilized, and I cannot seem to get it to crank. All of the lights turn on, power is still getting to everything, radio runs fine. I tried jumping it and allowing the battery to charge just in case, but no joy. The car does not even try to turn over.

The only "fix" I have found was to take it to the dealer. I tried putting the key in the 0 position, but no joy. I feel like there is an easier way to reset the alarm, and I am also pretty annoyed that this is a "feature". Leaving the key in the ignition should not break my car. Can anyone shed some light or tell me what I am missing?

Thanks.

03-22-2017, 06:17 PM	#1
Coldbourne Registered User Join Date: Mar 2017 Posts: 2	Immobilized - Radio Swap Good Evening, I bought a 2001 Boxster a few months ago and despite an early trip to the mechanic to deal with a coolant issue, it has been a gem. I drive it daily and have had no issues, but I did want to upgrade the radio to something other than a 15 year old CD player. I went through crutchfields, got a nice unit and the appropriate wiring harness, did the install and happiness ensued. Unfortunately, while testing the new unit to make sure everything worked before I finished mounting it, I am pretty sure I left the key in the ignition without cranking it. Now my car is immobilized, and I cannot seem to get it to crank. All of the lights turn on, power is still getting to everything, radio runs fine. I tried jumping it and allowing the battery to charge just in case, but no joy. The car does not even try to turn over. The only "fix" I have found was to take it to the dealer. I tried putting the key in the 0 position, but no joy. I feel like there is an easier way to reset the alarm, and I am also pretty annoyed that this is a "feature". Leaving the key in the ignition should not break my car. Can anyone shed some light or tell me what I am missing? Thanks.